Minorities represent highest suspension numbers
from page 1
of punishment, such as deten
tion and community service,
may also deter misbehavior.
Principal Rose Stowe said
that she faces a different
dilemma at Hall-Woodward
Elementary. The school now
has a large and growing His
panic population due to the"
implementation of an English
as-a-Second-Language (ESL)
theme, and a number of the
immigrant students come to
Hall-Woodward without immu
nization shots. Parents have 30
days from the time of enroll
ment to immunize their chil
dren. or the students are auto
matically suspended.
Those numbers, almost
half of the suspensions, are fac
tored into the total. "They
need to be separated so we can
get a true picture," Stowe said.
The number of suspensions for
fighting drops off by high
school, though, said Carver
principal Daniel Piggott.
Instead, behavior that may be
termed "disruptive" but is not
necessarily physical accounts
for more of the high school
suspensions. "We have a seri
ous problem with excessive
tardies," but few violent inci
dents, he said.
"It's not the kind of situa
tion where it is unsafe, like you
might turn the corner and get
hit with a brick," said Piggott
of Carver's high suspension
numbers, the second highest at
that level.
Like Diggs', Carver's sus
pensions are usually handed
out to the same youths over and
over. The same students will
fall into a pattern of repeat'
offenses, and often end up at
alternative schools such as
Independence High School.
Suspensions remain high even
at schools set up for students
with disciplinary problems;
Independence leads in out-of
school dismissals.
Causes for the high number
of suspension have been
debated. One concern raised is
the demographic ratio of teach
ers to students, with white
females comprising 63 percent
of the teaching and counseling
staff in Winston-Salem/Forsyth
County schools. Only 4 per
cent of the staff in those posi- .
tions are black males.
Piggott doesn't believe cul
tural biases are at the root of
the suspension problem. "If
you follow those kids to the
home, you find they are in trou
ble there," he said.
Parental involvement at
school can help out, but it's not
a cure-all, warns Piggott. "If a
parent does not have control of
their kids at home, they will
not have a lot of effect in their
involvement at school."
Diggs' Robinson took a
more philosophical stance on
suspensions. "People say
schools ain't what they used to
be. Schools are a reflection of
society ? society ain't what it
used to be," she stated. Even
elementary school children are
no longer immune from the
problems of violence and social
decay, Robinson added.
"Some of them are angry,"
she said. "They're not angry at
the kid they're hitting, they're
angry about life."
Nonetheless, she doesn't
allow students to "cop out" and
blame others for their prob
lems. "By the time they get to,,
grade three, they know the edu
cational process," said Robin
son. "We're trying to teachf
them responsibility for their;
actions." , \
Like Money In The Bankf
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EXPIRES 3-31-97 j?
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Mel Wat r
INVITES YOU TO ATTEND A
Town
Meeting
Tuesday, March 25
7:30 - 9 am
Anderson Conference Center
601 MLK BOULEVARD, WlNSTON-SALEM
if you have any questions. i'lease contact
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4
- A
Grievance panel denies
from page 1
grievance committee, which
included board members Jane
Goins and Buddy Collins.
Brown disagreed with
Bagley. "I feel if a parent doesn't
have a standing on behalf of a
child ... I don't know if anyone
has a standing," said Brown.
Parents charged that
Schoderbek went against Super
intendent Don Martin's instruc
tions to stay away from school
grounds and avoid contact with
students. Martin instructed
Schoderbek to remain away
from the school and its students.
During this period, he was
allowed to administer SAT and
ACT tests during his suspension
to students, including at least
one who had filed a complaint
with school administration.
Bagley said that though the
parents went through the correct
grievance channels, they could
not address the superintendent's
decision. Since the board could
only reject and not reverse the
superintendent's decision, the
appeal would not be in good
standing unless there was evi
dence that Schoderbek had
harassed students since his
return to Parkland March 10.
"1 don't think they have any
recourse," said Bagley.
Brown said that he and the
other parents are reviewing
options and have not yet decided
if they will take further action.
Although the parents didn't
accomplish what they had hoped
to, said Brown, he is proud of
the parents for their support and ,
participation. "One of the posi- |
tive things that has come out of l
this," he said, "is that they stood
up for their kids."
i
Local charter
schools get
from page 1
teacher ratio of 16 to one. Appli
cations to Lift will be accepted
through May 2.
The location for the Carter
G. Woodson School of Chal
lenge building will be announced
within two weeks, said board
member H.B. Harris. Applica
tions will be accepted at least
through May, said Harris, but the
deadline may be extended. The
school's initial program is
designed for 200 students in
grades one through eight, but the
charter plans to eventually serve
grades K-12.
The Carter G. Woodson
school's program takes lead
from its namesake, the African
American historian and scholar
who created Black History
Month, said Harris. "We are
looking for that group that has
been categorized as 'at risk,'"
said Harris, students whose per
formance in public schools does
not match their abilities.
"One of the things we want
to stay away from is labels,"
Harris added.
Forsyth County still has an
opening for one more charter.
Each county is limited to five
charters per local school system.
| COMMUNITY NEWS
t
It takes teamwork to prevent
cigarette sales to minors.
Preventing cigarette sales to minors is not a job anyone can do
alone. We all have a role to play in this effort?parents, teachers, store
owners, state and local officials and, of course, tobacco companies.
At Philip Morris USA, we're teaming up with retailers, wholesalers
and other major tobacco manufacturers in support of an ambitious
program called "We Card." It is providing stores across the country with
signs and educational materials to promote awareness of minimum-age
laws and the importance of checking ID.
We're also supporting the passage of state legislation to better
enforce existing minimum-age laws.
What can you do to help?
Become familiar with your state's minimum-age laws. Don't buy
cigarettes for minors. And don't send minors to buy cigarettes for you.
Teamwork can make the difference.
> m b
PHILIP MORRIS U.S.A.
Action Against Access.